Amsterdam Museum Cannonball Run: 1. Jewish Historical Museum

When in Amsterdam...Cannonball Museum Run Stop 1 is the Jewish Historical Museum. The weather was bad so we dropped  into a place close to home in old Mokum town.



Museum Layout/ Overview

- The Museum is housed in a complex of four former Ashkenazi synagoguess laid over three floors.
- Lower floors are the temporary exhibitions, cafeteria and entrance into the Synagoge. This area explains the basis of Jewish religion.
- Upper floor is the permanent exhibitions serparated into two room.
- First room covers the Jewish community in Netherlands and Amsterdam from 1500s to late 1800s.
- Second room is devoted to the 20th century experience of the Dutch Jewish Community.
- Disabled access is very good.


Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam


Temporary Exhibitions

Philip Mechanicus: Photographer ( exhibitions runs until 27 Ocotber 2013)
 This is the first posthumous restropective work of this Amsterdam photogrhaper. Philip was born at Zwanburgwal a few blocks from the Museum complex.

Son of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish German month this enabled the family to survive the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam.

The exhibition covers the life work of Philip Mechanicus who was a writer and photographer.

For us the best part of the exhibition is the photos of Amsterdam streets shot between 1955 and 1962.

Shtetl in the City: Antwerp through the lens of Dan Zollman (exhibition runs 16 September until 2 February 2014)

Dan Zollman is an Antwerp native from a Jewish family. His exhibition brings alive the world of Antwerp's ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews. Zollman opens the viewer to a community that is often closed.

An interesting look at a community from a city, Antwerp, that has had an enormous impact on the city of Amsterdam.



Dan Zollmann Sjtetl in de stad


Tips:
- Take the free audio tour it comes in multiple languages
- If you are interested in WWII and don't have a lot of time you can spend 1 hour just in the 20th century room.
- Museumnacht 2013 will be an event Digiffiti: Amsterdam street language and art influenced by the city's Jewish history.
When in Amsterdam....enjoy!

When in Amsterdam... - Blogged

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